Holding any two or more honours in sequence, play the lowest honour of the sequence.
| A | K | K | Q | ||
| Q | J | J | 10 |
Beat the dummy. When the dealer leads, it is usually advisable to play a card higher than the best in the dummy.
If you hold ace and others of the suit which the dummy leads, and the trumps are all against you, play your ace second in hand. If you wait, your ace may be trumped.
Third Hand
In this position your play should be guided by a knowledge of the leads, an application of the "Rule of Eleven," and a close observance of the dummy hand.
Unless you hold two or more honours in sequence, play your highest card. The object of doing this is either to win the trick, or, by forcing a still higher card from your adversary, to make a card good in your partner's hand.
Do not deceive your partner by playing an unnecessarily high card. Holding any two honours in sequence, play the lower.
Finessing on Partner's Lead
When the dummy holds no honour, it is not good play to "finesse against your partner." If you hold K J or A Q, by playing any card but the best you not only give the dealer an opportunity to make a trick, but you run the risk of losing your own high cards in that suit. If, however, the dummy holds an honour, K or Q, and you hold A and J of the suit, you are justified in finessing the J, hoping your partner holds the missing honour. At "no-trump"—when the dummy holds an honour—it is customary to finesse much deeper, hoping to catch the honour exposed on the table and so establish partner's suit.